Amtrak and downtown–a winning combo?

This post from Jacksonville highlights an interesting aspect of the “transit-oriented development” discussion–how Amtrak, or out of town rail, can bolster a city’s urban core. It’s also notable that there can be more affordable, though perhaps less aesthetically pleasing, interim solutions for bringing Amtrak downtown that would help catalyze high speed rail’s arrival to the area. It’s critically important to think about the co-location of multiple transportation modes near services, attractions, and the like to make them more appealing to the traveling public–particularly when airports are (of necessity) typically located some distance from a city’s downtown. #snappatx